Is it unreasonable for a cleaner to charge more in pet households?

[Rareoccurrence]

Is it strange / wrong for a cleaner to have different hourly rates depending on the clients home circumstances?

I have recently been approached as one of my clients is friends with another yet I charge them a different hourly rate. This is because I charge differently if a household has pets or not. Should I have notified of this ? I have just applied the appropriate rate to pet/non pet clients.

I have allergies to cats and dogs so need to medicate myself before these sessions and also I find consistently that there is a deeper clean needed in pet households so it’s £5 per hour more.

Client isnt happy, but has been fine with my charge and work till now as they now think it’s unfair ?

Not unfair, client can choose to go elsewhere if not happy. Stick to your guns OP

This nails it

Totally fair.

Also the extra cleaning of your items- I don’t have a dog and would not want the smell of dog coming from your hoover in my home for example!

Exactly. Plus, some people are just dirtier than others, regardless of whether or not they have pets, so would you charge them a higher hourly rate too?

It doesn’t make any sense. You should just charge for your time and spend longer on dirtier houses.

But they're still free to charge different amounts for different clients if they wish and as long as the client knows the rates in advance. Clients have no right to know what any business charges other clients.

It's well known that the likes of tradesmen charge more for "naice" houses in "naice" places as they assume the homeowner has more money than other customers in a sink estate, so price according to what they think they can get away with.

Of course they are but once clients hear they are charging differently, particularly without a reasonable explanation, they will get a reputation for being a bit dodgy and less trustworthy.

Yes it doesn't actually matter if MN thinks YABU, it's what the customers make of it if they find out. Tradies tend to have opaque fixed pricing, cleaners usually have a more explicit price per hour. I do think there is a risk of alienating pet owning potential customers because they'd potentially be paying quite a premium - in my case for one cat who spends 23 hours a day outside in summer - but if you have plenty of customers and can afford to pick and choose then it's a great way to select for non-pet-owners who are your preferred clients.

Do you charge extra for people with kids?

I don’t get this - I understand it might take longer so you might need more hours to do the job properly but I don’t think it’s reasonable to charge a higher hourly rate.

It doesn't make sense to me, as surely if it is more difficult in a pet household it just takes longer, yet you are also charging them extra, so they are paying twice. Just refuse pet households.

Really? You can do ten minutes hoovering just as easily in ten minutes with dogs getting underfoot (as they do according to the OP)? I think dog owners should keep their animals out of the way of anyone trying to work in their house.

Business can charge what they like depending on how convenient or difficult they personally find the work. You are free to employ someone else if you don’t like the price.

Every tradesman will be doing this, not sure why it is such a problem when the business is a cleaner or when the aggravation factor is dogs. The idea that the OP should swallow up additional costs and aggravation factors during the work to be “fair” is nonsensical and massively entitled. Whether she charges for longer hours or a higher hourly rate she will still be charging more for the dog owners who let their dogs get in the way of her work - as she is entitled to do.

I had 4 dogs up until losing my black Labrador in March, the other 3 are Frenchies. I don’t need to spend as much time cleaning since losing my Labrador, her fur was constantly shedding, but the other 3 dogs cause dust and dander. Before having any of them cleaning wasn’t as demanding. So yes, charging more for pet owners is absolutely reasonable 🤗

If you have dogs getting underfoot, you ask the owner to keep them out of the way. If they won't then either fire them or tell them you are charging a premium for the aggravation.

If the carpet is dirtier, whether it be dog hair, crumbs, whatever, you will cover less floor in 10 minutes so it will take you longer to complete the task. So yes, I can do 10 minutes of hoovering in 10 minutes. Time doesn't change depending on the task. I will just cover fewer square metres if it is dirtier so will take longer to complete the hoovering.

I don't understand what additional costs the op will have. If it is dirtier, she takes longer and therefore gets paid for more time. If the dogs are interfering with her ability to do the job, then yes, tell the client that is not acceptable.

And yes, a business can charge what they like. However, if the charges are deemed unreasonable by potential clients, then they won't hire them. Equally, if the business seems to be pulling a fast one, their reputation will suffer. If she wants to charge a premium for the mere fact that it is a pet owning house, be upfront rather than charging on the double (higher hourly rate plus longer duration) without clarity.

But you are saying it takes longer. Why does that justify a higher hourly rate rather than just more hours?

I am a cleaner and I don't think this is reasonable. I dont charge more per hour, it just might take me a longer time. Charging more per hour and taking a longer time is taking the piss IMO. It will take more time for sure.

I do adjust my rates based on the client situation and condition of the home but not just because there is a pet.

It doesn't.

So lets say I charge £15ph normally and before you got a dog, it took me 3hrs. Now it takes 4. So price has gone from £45 to £60.

So just because you have a dog, I am going to come away with nearly 50% more money than before. £20x4hrs vs £15 x 3hrs. That doesnt make any sense.

The other thing is that if someone has a decent hoover and you are hoovering properly, it really won't take an extra hour to keep on top of dog hair. I always hoover off the soft furnishings anyway as part of my clean so I am not doing more just perhaps actually removing debris vs hoovering over a clean sofa cushion.

I'm confused. You said in your previous post "So yes, charging more for pet owners is absolutely reasonable" and now you're saying pet ownership is not justification for charging more.

Obviously, if the cleaning takes longer, the total will be higher. Nobody is disputing that. The reason it takes longer is irrelevant though. What is being disputed is whether charging a higher hourly rate is appropriate simply because there are pets in the house. The op's questions was "Is it strange / wrong for a cleaner to have different hourly rates depending on the clients home circumstances?"

Ive never said I charge more for pet owners. I charge everyone an hourly rate which is dependant on their situation. It's essentially means tested. 7 kids and 15 dogs, it will still be £15-£20ph depending on what I agreed when we started out.

What I am saying is that it will probably take longer. That is because the cleaner is going to have to clean things they werent cleaning before rather than anything else. That's why it wouldn't take me longer than my usual because I'd have always been cleaning and hoovering all surfaces. Some people don't clean like that. They don't always hoover the sofa etc.

The job taking longer and with an increased hourly rate is taking the piss.

So it sounds like we are violently in agreement then😂

I reread and see now why I was confused. You quoted me and answered my question to another poster whom I quoted. I thought you were the poster I asked rather than someone else😀

I do that all the time because I dont keep track of usernames. I'm starting to get a feel for familiar tones, though....

OP, I haven’t read all the replies to your question.

from my perspective I expect a cleaner to charge an hourly rate and tell the client how many hours they need to achieve x y and z.

an agreement as to what’s cleaned and when to what level.

I do not expect to book somebody for let’s say 2hours a week do that’s not feasible as they will fail.

Two rates is crazy and rude, you are cleaning the same spaces. Some weeks the rooms will be cleaner than others, that’s life.

As for pets, most kids make way more mess than a dog. Do you charge even more for households with them?

One rate for all domestic cleans, and if the house with a dog needs more hours they pay for more. But allergies seem to be your biggest argument here, so just say no to those homes if it’s a problem for you